Copper is extensively used in a wide
range of industrial
and daily-life
applications, varying from heat exchangers to electrical wiring. Although
it is protected from oxidation by its native oxide layer, when subjected
to harsh environmental conditionssuch as in coastal regionsthis
metal can rapidly degrade. Therefore, in this study, we analyze the
potential use of carbon nanoparticle coatings as protective barriers
due to their intrinsic hydrophobic wetting behavior. The nanocarbon
coatings were produced via electrophoretic deposition on Cu platelets
and characterized via scanning electron microscopy, confocal laser
scanning microscopy, and sessile drop test; the latter being the primary
focus since it provides insights into the wetting behavior of the
produced coatings. Among the measured coatings, graphite flakes, graphene
oxide, and carbon nanotube (CNT) coatings showed superhydrophobic
behavior. Based on their wetting behavior, and specifically for electrical
applications, CNT coatings showed the most promising results since
these coatings do not significantly impact the substrate’s
electrical conductivity. Although CNT agglomerates do not affect the
wetting behavior of the attained coatings, the coating’s thickness
plays an important role. Therefore, to completely coat the substrate,
the CNT coating should be sufficiently thickabove approximately
1 μm.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.